אָן H0575
Where? Whither? How long? An interrogative adverb of place and (with ʿad) of time, also used indefinitely as 'anywhere.'
This small but versatile interrogative adverb — contracted from ʾayin — asks 'where?' or 'whither?' in direct questions, as when the angel addresses fleeing Hagar: 'Where have you come from and where are you going?' (Gen 16:8). Paired with ʿad, it shifts from space to time, becoming the anguished 'how long?' of lament (Exod 16:28; Num 14:11; Ps 13:2). In the doubled phrase ʾānāh wāʾānāh, it becomes indefinite — 'hither and thither, anywhere' — as in Solomon's restriction on Shimei (1 Kgs 2:36, 42). Spanish adónde and cuándo neatly mirror the spatial and temporal senses.
Senses
1. where, whither (interrogative) — Interrogative adverb of place meaning 'where?' or 'whither?' — used in direct questions about location or direction of movement. The angel's question to Hagar in Gen 16:8 ('Where have you come from and where are you going?') exemplifies this core spatial use. Spanish adónde, French où, and German wo all translate the directional question straightforwardly. Also appears in indirect questions (Josh 2:5; Neh 2:16). 21×
AR["أينَ", "أَنَه", "أَينَ", "أَيْنَ", "إلى-أيْنَ", "إِلَى-أَيْنَ", "وَ-أَيْنَ", "وَ-إِلَى-أَيْنَ", "وَأَيْنَ"]·ben["আর-কোথায়", "এবং-কোথায়", "ও-কোথায়", "কোথায়"]·DE["[אנה]", "[ואנה]", "und-wo", "und-wohin", "wo", "wohin"]·EN["Where", "and-where", "where"]·FR["Où", "[אנה]", "[ואנה]", "et-où", "je", "où"]·heb["אָן", "אנה", "ו-אנה", "לאן"]·HI["आनाह", "और-कहन", "और-कहाँ", "और-कहां", "कहाँ", "कहां"]·ID["Ke-mana", "dan-di-mana", "dan-ke-mana", "ke-mana"]·IT["[אנה]", "[ואנה]", "dove", "e-dove", "io"]·jav["Dhateng-pundi", "dhateng-pundi", "ing-pundi", "lan-dhateng-pundi", "lan-ing-pundi", "lan-wonten-pundi", "pundi"]·KO["그리고-어디-로", "그리고-어디로", "그리고-어디서", "어디-로", "어디-에", "어디로"]·PT["Para-onde", "aonde", "e-aonde", "e-onde", "e-para-onde", "para-onde", "¶ Para-onde"]·RU["Куда", "и-где", "и-куда", "куда"]·ES["A-dónde", "a-dónde", "adónde", "y-a-dónde", "y-adónde", "y-dónde", "¿A-dónde", "¿Dónde"]·SW["Unaenda-wapi", "Wapi", "kutoka", "na-unakwenda-wapi", "na-wapi", "unakwenda-wapi", "wanaikipeleka-wapi", "wapi"]·TR["Nereye", "nereye", "ve-nerede", "ve-nereye"]·urd["اور-کدھر", "اور-کہاں", "کہاں"]
Gen 16:8, Gen 32:17, Gen 37:30, Deut 1:28, Josh 2:5, Judg 19:17, Ruth 2:19, 1 Sam 10:14, 2 Sam 2:1, 2 Sam 13:13, 2 Kgs 6:6, Neh 2:16 (+9 more)
2. how long (temporal interrogative) — Temporal interrogative meaning 'how long?' or 'until when?', formed with the preposition ʿad (ʿad-ʾānāh). This usage carries a tone of exasperation or lament: God himself asks 'how long will this people despise me?' (Num 14:11), and the psalmist cries 'how long, O LORD?' (Ps 13:2). Spanish cuándo and German wann capture the temporal shift. Found especially in complaint and prophetic rebuke passages (Exod 16:28; Hab 1:2; Job 18:2, 19:2). 14×
AR["أَنا", "أَنتُم", "مَتى", "مَتَى"]·ben["কতকাল", "কতক্ষণ", "কতদিন", "কোথায়", "দীর্ঘকাল", "পর্যন্ত"]·DE["[אנה]", "als", "wann", "wohin"]·EN["when"]·FR["[אנה]", "je", "où", "où?", "quand"]·heb["אן", "אנה"]·HI["कब", "कब-तक", "कहाँ", "कहां-तक", "तुम-रखोगे"]·ID["kapan", "kapan,"]·IT["[אנה]", "dove", "io", "quando"]·jav["kapan", "ngantos-pundhi", "pinten-dangu", "pinten-dangunipun", "pundi"]·KO["어디-까지", "언제", "언제까지", "언제까지-"]·PT["investireis", "quando"]·RU["ЙХВХ", "вы", "доколе", "каких-пор", "когда", "куда"]·ES["cuándo", "¿cuándo?"]·SW["lini"]·TR["ne-kadar", "ne-zaman", "ne-zamana-kadar"]·urd["اے", "کب", "کَب", "کہاں-تک"]
3. anywhere, hither and thither (indefinite) — Indefinite locative adverb meaning 'anywhere' or 'hither and thither,' occurring in the doubled phrase ʾāneh wāʾānāh. Solomon tells Shimei not to go 'anywhere' from Jerusalem (1 Kgs 2:36, 42), and Gehazi denies having gone 'anywhere' (2 Kgs 5:25). Translations across languages borrow the English 'anywhere' directly, underscoring how this idiomatic doubling creates an indefinite from an interrogative. 6×
AR["إِلَى-أَيَّ", "مَكَانٍ", "هُنَا", "وَهُنَاكَ"]·ben["এবং-কোথাও", "এবং-কোথাও।", "কোথাও"]·DE["anywhere", "oder-anywhere"]·EN["anywhere", "or-anywhere"]·FR["anywhere", "ou-anywhere"]·heb["אנה", "ו-אנה"]·HI["और-कहीं", "कहीं", "भी"]·ID["dan-ke-mana-pun", "ke-mana", "ke-mana-pun", "pun"]·IT["dovunque", "o-dovunque"]·jav["ing-ngèndi", "lan-ing-ngèndi", "punapa-pundia", "pundia"]·KO["그리고-어디", "그리고-어디로", "어디", "어디로"]·PT["e-para-lá", "para-cá"]·RU["и-сюда", "куда", "либо", "туда"]·ES["a-ningún-lado", "adonde", "ni-a-ningún-lado", "y-adonde"]·SW["huko", "huku", "kwamba", "na-huku", "ujue", "wala-huko"]·TR["herhangi-bir-yere", "nereye", "ve-herhangi-bir-yere", "ve-nereye"]·urd["اور-کہیں", "بھی", "کہیں"]
4. [ketiv variant] — A ketiv (written) textual variant at 2 Kgs 5:25, where the consonantal text reads מאן (mēʾān, 'from where?') with the prepositional מ prefixed to ʾān. The qere (read) tradition normalizes this differently. Glosses across languages simply mark it as '[ketiv],' reflecting its status as a scribal or orthographic curiosity rather than a distinct semantic sense. 1×
AR["مِنْ-أَيْنَ"]·ben["কোথা-থেকে"]·DE["[ketiv]"]·EN["[ketiv]"]·FR["[ketiv]"]·heb["[מאן]"]·HI["[कहाँ-से]"]·ID["(ketiv)"]·IT["[ketiv]"]·jav["·"]·KO["(변형)"]·PT["[de-onde]"]·RU["откуда"]·ES["(kethiv)"]·SW["[k]"]·TR["nereden"]·urd["کہاں-سے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אָן adv. (contracted from I. אַיִן) where? or whither? 1 S 10:14 (cf. 27:10 𝔖 𝔗, v. sub אַל ad fin.); only besides in †מֵאָן whence? 2 K 5:25 Kt (Qr מֵאַיִן); †עַד־אָן of time to what point? how long? Jb 8:2. With ה locale: אָ֫נָה (a) whither? Gn 16:8; 32:18 2 S 2:1; 13:13 2 K 6:6 ψ 139:7(×2) + 9 textual; in indirect sentence Jos 2:5 Ne 2:16; (b) pregnantly †Ru 2:19 Is 10:3; (c) in the phrase…